Racing History Minute - June 23, 1961

Stock Car Racing History

Pretty amazing there were no fan injuries when the car of Richmond's "Golden Greek" - Emanuel Zervakis went into the grandstand at Hartsville in 1961. None of those 1900 fans must of been in the front rows, or else they were just plain fast.

Tim, for the 1982 Talladega 500, my old buddy Jim Freeman's marketing and advertising campaign at Alabama International Motor Speedway (remember A.I.M.S.???) was "13 RACES, 13 FACES." There had been thirteen Talladega 500s and thirteen different winners, beginning with Richard Brickhouse, through 1981.

Too bad for Jim that a fellow whose initials are D.W. killed his marketing campaign for the future by becoming the first two-time Talladega 500 winner in 1982. Jim had to come up with something new for 1983. Leave it to DW to mess up a good thing, right?!

Racing History Minute - June 22, 1957

Stock Car Racing History

There's a curly haired fellow in Level Cross, NC who should know the correct spelling. Even when he was wrong he was right and took home the bacon and cashed the check from numerous Capital City events, just as he did in this report from the 1968 Tuscaloosa, AL paper:

Racing History Minute - June 22, 1957

Stock Car Racing History

You are correct, Chase in your usage of "o" for a building and "a" for the location. I have seen the same problem with the name of the Capital City GN/Cup races in Richmond sometimes reported with the incorrect "o" versus the correct "a" in news reports and even on a ticket stub or event program cover.

The Richmond printer got it right on the 1975 tickets as seen in the above photo from e-bay:

Very interesting to see the historical marker from Sacramento.

Racing History Minute - June 22, 1957

Stock Car Racing History

yessir... I fell out of NASCAR's 18-34 listen to group 'bout 31 years ago, so I know my opinion doesn't count (even though I have grandsons for whom I buy race tickets and who watch with me.)

My opinion is that NASCAR can't figure from one year to the next how to classify some of its past history and doesn't seem to have anyone on staff who gives a rat's petunia or has the knowledge to figure it out. If this is NASCAR bashing, so be it.

My old departed journalist, historian and statistician friend, Gene Granger in Spartanburg was sure his phones were tapped by NASCAR. Don't guess he considered the NSA, although he made the press pilgrimage to the Carter White House for the NASCAR recognition event.

Racing History Minute - June 22, 1957

Stock Car Racing History

I'm about afraid to offer an opinion.

Racing History Minute - June 22, 1957

Stock Car Racing History

Later in 1957, Bill Amick scored three wins in the NASCAR Convertible Series - at Raleigh, Norfolk and Martinsville. His win record in 1957 in the Convertibles was 3 wins in 7 starts and he started on the pole in each of the three victories. Quite a powerful performance. Who knows what Bill might have accomplished had he stayed on the east coast.

Racing History Minute - June 22, 1957

Stock Car Racing History

Bill Amick, who passed in 1995, was inducted into the West Coast Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame in 2002. This is his writeup:

Bill Amick

BILL AMICK
In the early 1950s a young man from Portland Oregon started making his presence known up and down the west coast. His last name was very familiar to racing fans, as his brother George had already established himself as one of the top midget drivers in the country. By 1953 Bill Amick was winning races and had become a top contender wherever he went. Bill was a hard charger, very colorful and sometimes controversial with his driving style, and his day-in and day-out demeanor. In 1955 he finished seventh in NASCAR points with the Pacific Coast Late Model Series.

In 1956, after successful driving stints with Joe Fisher and Burl Jackson, Bill Amick went east and drove and won for Holman and Moody, repeating again in 1957. For a few years after 1957 he did not pursue a championship, nor did he score any wins of consequence, however, in 1961 he returned in a powerful Pontiac and was stronger than ever before, setting records and winning races wherever he traveled.

In 1962 he drove at Daytona for the famed Wood Brothers. In 1964, running a full program, he finished second in the Pacific Coast Grand National Standings and came back to win the 1965 championship in the Dick Niles Mercury, with one of the most outstanding seasons ever recorded in the history of west coast stock car racing. After the 1965 title Bill focused on road racing for a couple of seasons, running the old Can-Am Series, and eventually re-focused his activities on operating speedways.

In 1994 Portland Speedway hosted a dinner for Bill Amick to celebrate his accomplishments. It was attended by the Whos Who of west coast racing, the next day at Portland Speedway a countless number of fans and old friends came to see Bill and pay tribute to him. Bill passed away the very next year. Bills mark in the record books shows 21 career wins in NASCAR, plus another 10 or so with other organizations. The 21 wins places him fifth on the west coast wins list, plus several Winston Cup victories.

Photo below from Getty Images

June 21, 1987: End of an era

Stock Car Racing History

Tim was a talent behind the wheel and a very nice fellow in his dealings with me. I've told before how he drove a second George Jefferson/Derrike Cope 7-Eleven car for me in a Winston West race at Phoenix for no pay to help us promote the race.

That was the only Winston West race Tim ever ran. Unfortunately for us, he blew the engine on lap 7 of that 1984 season ender and finished dead last.

Farmer John Matthews Won Jacksonville's 1964 Leatherneck 150 as Car Owner Burned During Refueling

Stock Car Racing History

Found this photo of Bill Duff taken the same year as the 1964 Jacksonville race. This one in the Getty Images file was taken at Daytona on July 2, 1964:

Title:	Bill Duff - NASCAR Driver
Caption:	DAYTONA BEACH, FL 1960s: Bill Duff with his NASCAR stock car at Daytona International Speedway. (Photo by ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images)
Date created:	02 Jul 1964

Farmer John Matthews Won Jacksonville's 1964 Leatherneck 150 as Car Owner Burned During Refueling

Stock Car Racing History

I noticed a DALE Arnold listed at both Dublin and FMS in a #1 Open Wheel Modified. Here's his name in the June 15th Dublin results:

Open Wheel Modified
1) #10 Daniel Parker
2) #14 Jordan Taylor
3) #14 David Taylor
4) #23 Andy Floyd
5) #5 Mack Coxe
6) #1 Dale Arnold
7) #3 Dennis Brewer
8) #4 Clay Parker
9) #19 Steve Haefke
10) #E3 Ennis Brewer
11) #88 Wayne Gray
12) #12 Billy Wilson
13) #34 Steve Strickland
14) #94 Ricky Chavis
15) #7 Eddie Bullard